SUMMIT SPEAKERS

Keynote

Walter Woods

Walter D. Woods is CEO of the Humana Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Humana Inc., where he is focused on helping eight targeted communities in the southeast- and through their example, communities nationwide – become exemplars of health equity where leadership, culture, and systems work to improve and sustain positive health outcomes for their residents. With financial assets of $260 million and an annual program budget of $14 million, the Humana Foundation works in deep collaboration with partner organizations in all sectors to address the social determinants of health that shape health outcomes at the community and individual level. The Chair of the Foundation’s 5 member board (inclusive of the Founder of Humana. Inc.) is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Humana Inc., Bruce Broussard.

Walter’s passion is in inspiring others to inspire themselves. He has over 25 years of social development experience working both with and for younger and older adults in America. Prior to assuming the CEO role of the Humana Foundation, Walter served as President of the Good Samaritan Foundation, Vice President – Strategic Programs, Isolation for the AARP Foundation, a consultant to The World Bank Group, Chief Development Officer for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and Managing Director – Commercial Markets for the American Gas Association.

Walter has a MBA from Northwestern University – J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Evanston, IL, 1989; BBA, cum laude, from Howard University, Washington, DC, 1987; and completed the Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, Palo Alto, California, 2013, Leadership Greater Washington, 2003 and Leadership South Dakota, 2016.
He has been added to the 2001 Associations Advance America Honor Roll by ASAE for developing a program that “resulted in significant benefit to American society” and given a 2003 Award of Excellence by ASAE for developing a program that resulted in “significant benefit to American society.”

John Mittel

John Mittel is a Louisville native and co-founder of Clear/Cut Phocus. Mittel graduated with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Louisville, J.B. Speed School of Engineering before going on to receive his M.D. from the University of Louisville School of Medicine.

Throughout both his undergraduate and med school experiences, Mittel was committed to excellence no matter what it took, and diligently found himself working long into the evening. Neither a fan of coffee nor sugary drinks, he has since developed an alternative option at Phocus.

Headquartered on River Road in Louisville, Phocus has taken off and is carried in a number of local venues including Rainbow Blossoms, Fresh Thyme, Lucky’s Supermarket, Lou Berry, Heine Bros., Paul’s Fruit Market, and Louisville area Kroger stores. The company has developed an avid following that Mittel has helped stoke through data mapping trends, while also working with local businesses and Amazon to help tailor to those consumer interests.

Catherine Greenwell
A native of Elizabethtown, KY, Catherine Greenwell now calls Louisville home, but her business and a piece of her heart remain in Etown. A graduate of the University of Louisville with degrees in Economics and Political Science, Catherine pursued a career in economic development at Greater Louisville Inc., the region’s chamber of commerce. While tackling issues such as increasing the workforce pipeline and attracting talent, Catherine’s heart was pulling her to help the community in a slightly different way. After months of training and paperwork, Catherine was officially approved as a foster parent in Spring of 2017. Juggling single foster motherhood and a career, Catherine was looking for an opportunity that would allow her more time to pour into her passion for helping these children. October 2017, Denizen, a long time dream of her’s and her sister’s, opened its doors. A home goods store in Elizabethtown, Denizen is now a part of the revitalization of the downtown area, a place customers come to find unique wares for their homes, and the perfect solution for Catherine’s desire to impact her communities.

Holly McKnight
With nearly a decade in strategic communications, Holly Weyler McKnight has established herself as a flexible, dynamic and relationship-oriented PR and events professional. She currently serves as both PR and Partnership Manager for Old Forester and Media Relations Manager for the Forecastle Festival, garnering millions of impressions annually with coverage in the New York Times, USA Today, Rolling Stone, Southern Living and hundreds of other outlets throughout the world. Prior to joining Brown-Forman, Holly served as Director of PR + Events for Louisville-based 21c Museum Hotels and Senior Manager of PR + Partnerships at Bandy Carroll Hellige, where she led communication efforts for a diverse roster of clients in retail, healthcare and the public sector. Dedicated to building a strong, healthy community through work to conserve the environment, Holly co-founded The Forecastle Foundation in 2011, which has since raised nearly $500,000 to protect ecological hotspots in Kentucky and around the world. Holly and her husband JK live in Crescent Hill raising their daughter, Maple.

David Padgett
David Padgett is a former acting University of Louisville Men’s Basketball head coach. He became just the third head coach for the Cardinals in the last 46 years, following Rick Pitino and Denny Crum. He had been a member of the University of Louisville basketball staff for the last three years and a former three-year starter at center for the Cardinals. Padgett was UofL’s director of basketball operations for two seasons before his move to an assistant coaching position in 2016. Before joining the UofL staff, Padgett spent three years as an assistant coach at IUPUI. He served a year as assistant strength coach with the Cardinals in 2010-11. Padgett played professional basketball for UB LaPalma in the Canary Islands for two years following his graduation from UofL. A three-year starter and captain at center for the Cardinals, Padgett was a unanimous first-team All-Big East Conference selection as a senior and also earned USBWA All-District IV honors.

Mike Rutherford
Since launching his website, Card Chronicle, a little over a decade ago, Mike Rutherford has been one of the most prominent voices in Louisville sports coverage. He’s received multiple Best of Louisville awards from both Louisville Magazine and LEO Weekly for Best Local Writer and Best Local Website, and was named “One of 10 People to Know In Sports Media” by Louisville Business First. His strong online following (which includes 52,000 followers on Twitter) ultimately led to a full-time gig on the radio as the co-host of “Ramsey & Rutherford,” the city’s No. 1 afternoon sports radio show.

Seema Sheth is a native Louisvillian who returned home after many years in Los Angeles. She has worn many hats in her professional career, including documentarian, corporate employee, model, entrepreneur and financial advisor. She currently works in Financial Planning at Northwestern Mutual where she runs an all-female financial planning team. She attended the College of William and Mary for her undergraduate education, and received an MBA from the University of California, Irvine. She and her husband Andreas are new parents to Safia Wren.

Let’s Get Political Panel

Logan Gatti, Christian Motley, OJ Oleka, Iris Wilbur

Logan Gatti was a Democratic candidate for State Representative in Kentucky’s 40th District in 2018. He currently serves as the President of the Louisville Young Democrats and as the Vice President of Programming of the Kentucky Young Democrats. He works for Humana in Operational Risk Management and owns/operates a small property management business, Gatti Properties LLC. He graduated from the University of Louisville in 2014 with his MBA and in 2012 with a BS in Economics and Political Science. He and his wife Jasmine – who is also a candidate for office – live in Old Louisville and they enjoy trying all the great restaurants in Louisville.

Christian Motley has spent a career, nationally and at home, committed to education advocacy and community change.
Christian got his start as a student organizer at Berea College leading service projects in the Mississippi Delta, youth development and voter education programming across the Commonwealth. In 2017, he became director for New Leaders Council Kentucky, a diverse and ever-expanding cross-sector network of millennial civic entrepreneurs striving to make a positive impact in their communities.
Christian has served in the administrations of both Governor Steve Beshear and President Barack Obama, fighting for quality early childhood education and expansion of cradle to career initiatives. Today, he works as a policy strategist at StriveTogether, a national network of communities working to advance better and more equitable outcomes for kids.
Christian serves as a mentor, board member and volunteer for Lexington’s On the Move Art Studio, Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Bluegrass, and Commerce Lexington’s Leadership Lexington Youth steering committee.

OJ Oleka is Chief of Staff and Deputy Treasurer to Kentucky Treasurer Allison Ball. OJ graduated from the University of Louisville with a degree in Marketing and a minor in Political Science. At UofL, OJ was Student Body President and Chairman of the Kentucky Board of Student Body Presidents. After graduation, OJ joined Teach For America and taught middle school math in St. Louis.
As Chief of Staff, OJ oversees strategy and management, leading 27 employees and a multi-million dollar budget.
OJ has an MBA from Bellarmine University and teaches a course on poverty and financial literacy. He is currently a doctoral student at Bellarmine, focusing on higher education policy. OJ serves on the board for Supplies Over Seas, a non-profit that fights global health inequity.
OJ lives in Louisville, KY with his wife, Jamie Beth and their cockapoo, Ashe. Together they own a consulting business, Oleka Management Consulting, Inc., which focuses on leadership and organizational management for small businesses and non-profits.

Iris Wilbur joined Greater Louisville Inc., the metro chamber of commerce, in 2016 and serves as their Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy. In her role, she works on policy and legislation at the local, state and federal levels to help advocate for the region’s business community. Prior to that, Iris was a political operative for 9 years working on campaigns and committees.

In the 2016 election cycle, Iris worked with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, serving as Regional Political Director of Indiana, Kentucky, & Ohio. Ahead of the 2014 election cycle, she joined Team Mitch in early 2013 as Political Director to reelect Senator Mitch McConnell. In the 2012 Presidential race, Iris was based in New Mexico and Northern Nevada on behalf of the Republican National Committee and Mitt Romney for President as their State Victory Director. Prior to that, Iris worked on the 2011 Kentucky Gubernatorial race and the 2010 U.S. Senate campaign to elect Rand Paul.

She’s from Rineyville, KY and a graduate of the University of Louisville- College of Business.

Breakout Session: Crucial Conversations

Aaron Miller

Aaron Miller is the Director of Programs for the Leadership Louisville Center, a nonprofit founded in 1979. He runs the civic programs for the Center, which includes the Leadership Louisville, Bingham Fellows, Ignite Louisville, Focus Louisville, and Encore Louisville programs. Miller has been with the Leadership Louisville Center since 2011, and spent the previous 17 years in broadcasting, working as a radio morning show host and promotions/marketing director.

Miller is a former city council member for the city of Lyndon and has also worked as a blogger for Gannett/The Courier-Journal. In 2015, Business First magazine named him one of “20 People to Know in Nonprofits.” He has received other awards including Business First’s Forty Under 40 in 2010, the Young Professionals Association of Louisville’s President’s Award in 2009, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Strength Award in 2007 and Hope Award in 2004.

Power Session: Courage and Perseverance While Battling Cancer

Rebecca Weis

Rebecca Weis is a member (partner) of Stites & Harbison, PLLC, one of the region’s largest law firms. Rebecca’s practice includes both counseling and litigation in which she represents employers of all sizes. Rebecca was previously recognized by Business First as an “Attorney to Watch” and a Forty Under 40 Honoree. For the past six years, she was named a Kentucky Super Lawyers “Rising Star.”

Rebecca is past-President of YPAL and hosted the first YP Summit during her presidency. Rebecca has a long history of civic and community service, including serving on the boards for Leadership Louisville Center, Greater Louisville, Inc., the Louisville Downtown Development Corporation, and the University of Kentucky.

She has been dubbed a “bad-ass” woman leader by YPAL’s Executive Director, and with good reason. Rebecca is undaunted by challenges and rises to the top of every group and institution with which she is involved. And, she brings others with her. Rebecca encourages others to be their best, just as she always demands the best of herself – whether at work or in her personal life.

When Rebecca stops to catch her breath, you can find her raising her “three-nager” Caroline with her husband John.